There is only one thing worth seeing this week on the Internet, and it is Sia’s music video tribute to the 49 children (this video makes it so obvious that they were just CHILDREN, having fun and being dumb and maybe reckless, but children nonetheless) who were murdered in the Orlando club.
Maybe you’ll be able to get through this without crying, but I sure couldn’t.
I have so loved having Elizabeth here! She is one of my very best friends, and on top of that, we have extremely similar living/traveling habits. For instance, our decision to take a 9-hour ferry from Crete to Athens instead of a 50-minute flight turned out to be pretty disastrous. We left port at 9:00 p.m., and the entire boat turned into a chaotic mass of people scrambling to find a chair, bench, or piece of floor to call their own. The majority of the trip consisted of trying to find a comfortable position to sleep in while the lights were fully on, then being woken up at 5:30 a.m. to stand for an hour before they let us off. BUT, after admitting to each other that this was not a great decision, we both agreed that it was an adventure worth having and we were glad we’d experienced it. It’s nice to have a friend like that.
It was also nice that Elizabeth did all the Athens touristy things on her own! I went back to work this week, and while I was at meetings or doing lesson planning, Elizabeth went to the Acropolis and various museums. It felt great to not have to take care of her, and I was grateful for the opportunity to avoid paying to see the Parthenon for a fourth time.
Instead, we spent evenings watching movies. We had both prepared feminist masterpieces to share with the other: I wanted her to see Magic Mike XXL and she wanted me to see Ex Machina). One night we went to IKEA, Continue reading
THIS IS EVERYTHING. Thor hanging out with Darryl in Australia, unhappily “not caring” about Tony Stark and Steve Rogers fighting without him, making nonsense mystery boards about the Infinity Stones…PERFECT.
“Dude? Don’t you get it?? Here at Lambda Alpha Lambda, we keep toxic masculinity in check!”
Let’s make this man our next vice president!
August is tourist season, and I’ve been so happy to host visitors taking advantage of their summer holidays-first my mom and now one of my closest friends (Elizabeth co-writes the Let’s Talk About series with me).
But before Elizabeth came on Friday, I had a normal workweek. Not much to report there, necessarily. Two staff members are out on holidays, and we’re just about finished with our summer schedule. That means slowly getting ready for the return of our official classes (thank God) and me working on fundraising things (I’m up to about $4,000 out of $32,000!)
What a good time to self-promote! Donate online today at www.gemission.org/donate!
The main interesting thing this week was all the skype conversations I had with strangers and old friends. An unexpected theme arose from these conversations where I was reminded of my primary interest in ministering to ministers, and thinking about how that might play out someday in missionary member care or a retreat center or who knows! It’s really fun to see how I am accumulating experiences and developing skills that will lead me on a hopping path to new opportunities.
I’ve been feeling a lot lately, just how much I love my life. I’ve frequently wondered if I would be happy if I died suddenly and soon, and…yes! I feel like I am living life to my fullest. I’m taking advantage of opportunities that come up, I am giving to the world the best of myself, and I am constantly learning and growing and transforming. I feel so content (in the midst of fear and wanderlust and anger) knowing that I’m living the life I want to live. I’m so lucky.
That pickiness only increased on Friday morning when Elizabeth arrived! She is my kindred spirit and my mental soul mate, and so far we are having so much fun together. We went to Heraklion, Crete for the weekend because we’re both massive history nerds, and last night we stayed up until 1:00 drinking wine and eating cheese and talking about the freedom that comes from actually believing in God’s grace. Today we spent hours at the museum full of the most amazing Minoan artifacts, and we’ve been eating great Greek food to stay energized. Also napping. Right now is nap time, so as soon as I post this…zzz.
Dear Tricia,
First I would like to thank you Miss Tricia for my history lesson today. I learned some new stuff and RE learned some old. Most of the historical stuff I read was as one would assume…Because Greece is one of the world’s oldest civilizations, the influence MANY Greeks had on EVERYTHING is astounding. Math (Pythagorean Theorem), Language, Architecture, Art & Theater, Psychology, literature, fashion (draping, gladiator sandals, headbands, etc.), democracy, should I keep going??
Basically, we wouldn’t be the America we are today without Greece. So how about I give you some random trivia knowledge about everything Greece… Some you may know, but others (I will feel accomplished if) you may hear for the first time!!!
So that Parthenon was actually in pretty good shape most of it’s existence…but in the 1600s they were using it as a place to store gun powder and there was an explosion…that + time = what the Parthenon looks like now.
So did I teach you anything?!?! Every other article I found was, “You’re an American going to Greece?! Oh my! Be careful! People want your money, and don’t wave at someone with an open hand. And if they spit on you, it’s a good thing.”
HAPPY THURSDAY/FRIDAY! See you in 64 days!
Love,
Lindsay
1| Stop Pretending “Sexy” and “Sexualized” Mean the Same Thing by The Mary Sue
YES, thank you. There are ways to show and appreciate the human form without resorting to gross objectification.
I repeat: nobody has a problem with you being turned on by people you find attractive. This article is not about how you perceive people; it’s about how they are presented to you…The human body is neutral, not inherently objectified just by virtue of being visible. When Olympic athletes are represented in the media, the photographers, journalists and commentators have a choice: do they show these accomplished professionals doing their thing and allow viewers to decide on their own if they find the competitors attractive, or do they choose close-ups, angles and descriptions which draw attention to attractiveness over performance?
2| What Travel Did For My Body-Image by Travelettes
I love this piece on how travel helps your body image by shifting your priorities and decreasing your opportunities to obsess over your body.
3| Alia Shawkat & Aubrey Plaza Will Play Hamilton & Burr in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Drunk History Episode! by The Mary Sue
YESSSS, super excited to see this gender-bending, immigrant-appreciating Drunk History about Hamilton and Burr!
4| Finally, the Try Guys recreate the Ancient Olympics, and it’s AMAZING, obviously.
I’m back with weekly recaps! Hyper-observant readers of my blog might notice that Weeks #30 and #31 don’t exist, the former because I forgot and the latter because it was actually A Week in Slovenia.
Mom and I finished up our vacation on Monday. In some ways it was hard to return – being in Slovenia rekindled my wanderlust in a big way, planting visions of new jobs in new European countries in my brain. This is unfortunate, since I literally just committed to staying in Greece for another year. But it’s also pretty standard, since my reaction to any kind of commitment is usually “JUST KIDDING OMG THIS IS SCARY.” Most commitments, anyway. The great thing about returning was getting back to my cat-shaped cuddle-monster, Hans Harrison.
On Tuesday, my mom and I did a lot of shopping, both practical and fun. We went to the mall, an hour-long journey that got us thinking about the differences of city and country travel Continue reading
Dear Tricia,
I hope you thoroughly enjoy this because it is one hot mess!
Your challenge for next week should you choose to except it: letters between friends crafty Tricia edition. I want to see the right side of Tricia’s brain hard at work!
Love,
Lindsay
Dear Tricia,
How is it that I move from a job where I have summers off BACK to a job where I work year round and this has been one of the funnest summers yet!?
I’ve been working hard to make it a point to take the girls places and do fun summer things…BUT also making sure they see all the work.
But let’s get serious…when you’re “working” with a 2 and almost 4-year-old, everything is entertaining!
Our Summer Activity…
1. We are outside with LOTS with animals. We have acquired quite a few animals lately, which requires lots of extra time outside…
The Kittens… Charlotte & Mona Continue reading
Whenever I think of men who make me feel
safe, Steve is always the first to come to mind. He runs a construction business and is massively tall, so by all rights he ought to be intimidating and hyper-masculine. Instead, he absolutely radiates gentleness.
I had the pleasure of co-teaching junior high Sunday School with Steve, and I was constantly impressed by how respectful he was of me, a woman half his age. He was always complimentary of my lessons, and he went out of his way to make sure I felt happy with the way we divided our work.
I also got to see his love for middle schoolers, arguably the most trying age group of any. Steve chose to work with this group for years and years, not out of obligation but out of genuine love. He brought tools and live-demonstations into class to illustrate a point, and he somehow managed to convey the fact that he would both teach you how to use a soldering gun AND listen to you complain about your math teacher at the same time.
Steve smiles often and laughs easily. He is one of the nicest people to be around, and he is definitely a man who is #morethan a gender stereotype.
It Is Trish 